On Memories and their Consequences
by JLW
Summary: Amelia Jessica Pond can remember three ninth birthdays if she thinks hard enough


Amelia Jessica Pond has three sets of memories tucked away in her brain. If she thinks really hard she can remember three ninth birthdays, one with her parents, cake and all her friends from school, another where her aunt bought her a toy car, for she was more interested in her own life to care for her sister's daughter and a final one where she had no parents and no Rory, she tries not to think of that life too often, it is lonely and she wishes that she could forget. She wouldn't forget though, even if she had the choice because to forget would mean to forget the pain and the silence that that world brought her and without those nightmares, she feels she wouldn't be able to fully appreciate her happy ending that she has now.  
-

In the world without her parents, she remembers going fishing with Rory and his dad. She would wake up early on a Sunday morning before heading up to his house in her raincoat and gumboots, sometimes she brought sandwiches but most of the time Rory would get his dad to make extra because everyone knew that sandwiches made by parents are always better than the ones you make yourself. She fell in the lake once, she and Rory had argued and she stormed off only to slip in the mud and land up to her chest in murky water. They had had to fish her out with the fishing pole and try to dry her off with the picnic blankets. She had spent the next three days in bed with a cold. When her aunt finally let her out of bed and into school, Rory approached her with a red face and downcast eyes,

"Sorry for shouting at you, 'melia."

"You're still thinking about that? It was nothing, I fancied a dip anyway."

Rory laughed at that and offered to play the Doctor with her, she accepted and the whole incident was forgotten.

She never went fishing again though.  
-

Her parents introduced themselves to the Williams when Amelia was nine years old. They had just moved in down the road and Amelia had been dressed up in a scratchy, red dress that clashed awfully with her hair to meet up with their new neighbours. She had been trusted with the hamper of fairy cakes to give as a welcome present and fidgeted once more with the hem of her dress before following her parents down the road.

Halfway there, her lace came undone and she stopped to tie it but by the time she looked up her parents had vanished around the corner and a little boy stood in their place, he stuck out his hand

"I'm Rory, who are you?"

"I'm Amelia, want to play a game?"

"Okay then."

They spent the afternoon saving the human race from giant eyes in the sky. They congratulated themselves with the fairy cakes once they were finished. Her red dress was ruined and ripped but Amelia was glad because, to be honest, it itched.  
-

Amelia Pond was a lonely little girl who spent most of the time hiding indoors or running through the park shouting about aliens and monsters so loudly that no one else could hear themselves think. No one knew who she was or where she came from, only that she arrived with her aunt three years ago with a little suitcase and not much else besides. No one knew where her parents were.

She screamed in the night sometimes. Her aunt would run to her room and flick the light on only to find her niece holding her hands to her ears and crying into her pillow. She would hold Amelia until she quieted down, rubbing her back until the sobs choked back into little hiccups. She hoped Amelia wouldn't wake up again that night because there was work to go to in the morning. Amelia wouldn't sleep though, she would lie awake at night and try to remember her parents and the stars but it just hurt her head and made her cry again. She wished she had someone apart from her aunt to talk to, she was lonely by herself.

* * *

Rory Williams also has three sets of memories. He remembers running through town in a tunic and leather sandals, he remembers holding Amy while she cried because she had no family to go to and he remembers watching her and her family from afar and silently pining after her because he didn't have the courage just to go up and ask her out. He remembers the waiting, although some of the memories are a little fuzzy nowadays but that was to be expected, you can't live to two thousand years of age without losing a few things here and there.  
-

In Rome he would run through the town slaying imaginary enemies with his wooden sword, he would chase them all out into forests on the edge of town and return home victorious and covered head to toe in dirt. In the evenings when his mother washed his hair, he would babble about his adventures,

"I killed them all Mum! Apart from the girl, there was a beautiful girl there so I left her in the woods. I told her to wait for me!"

"That's lovely dear."

"She had red hair and the strangest clothes, she said her friend was coming for her soon but I asked her to wait for me. I made her promise; I'll play with her again tomorrow."  
-

He held her when she cried and she had cried a lot after psychiatrist number four. Her aunt had snapped and so had Amy, she had stormed out and let herself into Rory's house with the spare key. She arrived in Rory's room with such fire in her eyes that Rory didn't know whether to be scared or to hug her. She sat down on his bed and put her head in her lap, hair hanging down around her face. He sat down beside her and awkwardly patted her back until she looked up at him,

"I'm sorry for this."

"It's alright, I'm not going anywhere. Stay as long as you like."

"Thanks."

She shifted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, kissed her temple and made little shushing noises when Amy started to cry. He didn't want her to be so sad, but what good was wanting if you never did anything about it?

"Don't forget me, I'm always going to be here for you."

"How could I ever forget you, Rory Williams?"  
-

He remembers his father's funeral, holding Amy's hand by the graveside and throwing the dirt onto the coffin. Amy's parents didn't know she was skipping school to be here, she didn't think they'd mind. He wanted to stand there forever and Amy had to drag him away in the end, she took him to the edge of the cemetery where the flowers grew wild and the grass was unkempt and weedy. She span out of his grasp and turned in the long grasses around her ankles, forever dancing and spinning just out of his reach. He wanted to join her _so badly_ but if he did, he would forget the pain and the heartache of losing his dad; he couldn't just forget because he didn't know how. Amy couldn't help because she _had_ a family, she had a mum and a dad who loved her and he only had his mum now. A mum who hadn't spoken to him in weeks, a mum who spent all day in bed and who didn't even go to the funeral for lack of energy. His head swam with it all and he sat down heavily in the dirt, grass staining his new, black suit. Amy stopped spinning. She sat down beside him in her blue dress (what other colour would it be? Amelia was never one for conforming to what was expected of her) and she tucked her fingers under his chin to turn his eyes to face her.

"Are you alright?"

"No, are you?"

"No."

And then she kisses him, softly and sweetly. He thinks she tastes of strawberries and she thinks he tastes of tears. He puts his arms around her and cries quietly into her shoulder until the sun sets. His heart begins to hurt a little less.

* * *

**A/N: Hello, hello! This fic was written using some prompts from www (dot) madgirlwithaboxprompts (dot) tumblr (dot) com, she has some really good picture prompts over there and you should have a look! Please review, reviews are lovely :)**


End file.
